Rattling Run (Little Mahanoy Creek tributary)

Rattling Run is a tributary of Little Mahanoy Creek in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 2.3 miles (3.7 km) long and flows through Butler Township and Gordon.[1] The watershed of the stream has an area of 2.75 square miles (7.1 km2). The stream is not designated as an impaired waterbody and is several miles from the Western Middle Anthracite Field. The Gordon Reservoir is located within its watershed. The watershed of Rattling Run is a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.

Rattling Run
Rattling Run looking upstream in Gordon
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • elevation1,460 ft (450 m)
Mouth 
 • location
Little Mahanoy Creek
 • coordinates
40°45′10″N 76°20′22″W
 • elevation
810 ft (250 m)
Length2.3 mi (3.7 km)
Basin size2.75 sq mi (7.1 km2)
Basin features
ProgressionLittle Mahanoy Creek → Mahanoy Creek → Susquehanna River → Chesapeake Bay

Course
Rattling Run looking downstream in Gordon

Rattling Run begins on a mountain in Butler Township. It flows west-southwest for a few tenths of a mile before turning northwest and flowing through the Gordon Reservoir. The stream then turns west-southwest for several tenths of a mile, entering a valley and flowing alongside Highridge Park Road/Gordon Mountain Road. It then turns northwest for several tenths of a mile before turning north-northwest and entering Gordon. Here, it leaves its valley and continues flowing north-northwest. After a few tenths of a mile, it reaches its confluence with Little Mahanoy Creek.[1]

Rattling Run joins Little Mahanoy Creek 0.32 miles (0.51 km) upstream of its mouth.[2]

Hydrology

Rattling Run is not designated as an impaired waterbody.[3] In general, the mouth of Rattling Run was found to have a slightly lower pH and slightly lower nutrient concentrations than Little Mahanoy Creek.[4]

The discharge of Rattling Run was measured to be 9.61 cubic feet per second (0.272 m3/s) in March 2001 and 1.99 cubic feet per second (0.056 m3/s) in August 2001. The concentrations of dissolved oxygen were 12.3 and 8.3 milligrams per liter (0.0123 and 0.0083 oz/cu ft), respectively. In March 2001, the pH of the stream was 5.7 and the net alkalinity concentration was 3 milligrams per liter (0.0030 oz/cu ft), while in August 2001, the pH was 6.5.[4]

The concentration of dissolved aluminum in Rattling Run was 0.14 milligrams per liter (0.00014 oz/cu ft) in March 2001 and 0.01 milligrams per liter (1.00×10−5 oz/cu ft). The concentrations of dissolved manganese and iron in the stream were 0.09 and 0.01 milligrams per liter (8.99×10−5 and 1.00×10−5 oz/cu ft) in March 2001 and 0.01 and 0.01 milligrams per liter (1.00×10−5 and 1.00×10−5 oz/cu ft) in August 2001.[4]

The dissolved nitrate concentration in Rattling Run was 0.10 milligrams per liter (0.000100 oz/cu ft) in March 2001 and 0.18 milligrams per liter (0.00018 oz/cu ft) in August 2001. The dissolved phosphorus concentration was 0.03 milligrams per liter (3.0×10−5 oz/cu ft) in March and less than 0.01 milligrams per liter (1.00×10−5 oz/cu ft) in August. The dissolved sulfate concentration was 7 and 6 milligrams per liter (0.0070 and 0.0060 oz/cu ft) in March and August 2001, respectively.[4]

Geography and geology

The elevation near the mouth of Rattling Run is 810 feet (250 m) above sea level.[5] The elevation of the stream's source is 1,460 feet (450 m) above sea level.[1]

Rattling Run is a few miles to the south of the Western Middle Anthracite Field.[4] The stream has experienced some erosion along the sides and bottom of its channel.[6]

Watershed

The watershed of Rattling Run has an area of 2.75 square miles (7.1 km2).[2] The mouth of the stream is in the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Ashland. However, its source is in the quadrangle of Minersville.[5]

A reservoir known as the Gordon Reservoir is on Rattling Run. In 1970, it was owned by the Butler Township Water Company.[7]

The designated use for Rattling Run is aquatic life.[3]

Rattling Run flooded during Hurricane Agnes in April 1972, causing $350,000 in damage and significant damage to nearby structures.[6][8]

History

Rattling Run was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1184693.[5]

Rattling Run was stocked with 1000 adult and yearling rainbow trout at least once in the early 1900s.[9] Improvements were made to the stream in 1937.[10] Flood control proposals for Rattling Run in Gordon were made in 1976.[6]

A steel culvert bridge carrying Gordon Mountain Road over Rattling Run was built in 1959 and is 24.0 feet (7.3 m) long.[11]

In June 1991, it was reported that raw sewage was being piped from homes directly into Rattling Run and Little Mahanoy Creek.[12]

Biology

In 2001, neither fish nor macroinvertebrates were observed in Rattling Run at Gordon.[4] The stream is classified as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.[13]

See also

References
  1. United States Geological Survey, The National Map Viewer, retrieved December 23, 2015
  2. Pennsylvania Gazetteer of Streams (PDF), November 2, 2001, p. 118, retrieved December 23, 2015
  3. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2006 Waterbody Report for Rattling Run, retrieved December 23, 2015
  4. Effects of Abandoned Coal-Mine Drainage on Streamflow and Water Quality in the Mahanoy Creek Basin, Schuylkill, Columbia, and Northumberland Counties, Pennsylvania, 2001 (PDF), November 2, 2001, pp. 9, 16, 18, 31, retrieved December 23, 2015
  5. Geographic Names Information System, Feature Detail Report for: Rattling Run, retrieved December 23, 2015
  6. Helena Kovalewski (June 30, 1976), "Proposed flood control measures for Gordon explained", Evening Herald, p. 1, retrieved December 23, 2015
  7. Susquehanna River Basin Commission (1970), Susquehanna River Basin study, Volume 11
  8. Federal Emergency Management Agency (June 30, 2010), Flood Insurance Study Volume 1 Of 2 Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania (PDF), p. 14, retrieved December 23, 2015
  9. Report of the Commissioner for ..., 1904, p. 88
  10. A history of Gordon, Pennsylvania from 1788 to 1952, retrieved December 23, 2015
  11. Schuylkill County, retrieved December 23, 2015
  12. Moore, Chester A. (Jun 16, 1991). "Gordon Approves Plan for Public Sewer System". Reading Eagle. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  13. "The Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law and the Federal Clean Water Act: Final actions taken for NPDES permits and WQM permits", Pennsylvania Bulletin, August 30, 2014, retrieved December 23, 2015. "CWF" in source denotes "Cold Water Fishery" and "MF" in source denotes "Migratory Fishery"

Further reading
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